Railings are ubiquitous in commercial and residential building projects which include at least one railing and several balusters extending therebetween. A railing can be disposed horizontally or angularly, depending on whether the railing is located adjacent to a floor surface, a ramp or a stairway. Conventional balusters are attached to a railing by a bracket or a connector by threaded fasteners, or by extruding a connectable section into the center of the hollow baluster, such as a screw boss supported within a hollow baluster by connecting struts.
The typical baluster connector does not always satisfy the consumer's desire for a connection that is difficult to disconnect. The extruded boss-type connection results in a secure connection but can also cause wasted material in the center of the baluster since the baluster is typically connected at each end to the railing. In addition, pre-formed balusters with connection mounts do not typically account for manufacturing tolerances of the baluster, potentially resulting in an insecure mount between the baluster and the rail. One previous baluster connector used friction-fit tapered bosses to create a secure connection. However, it also did not account for the manufacturing tolerance of the hollow baluster, causing some difficulties in achieving a consistent fit between a baluster and a baluster connector. For example, if the baluster-connector fit is too tight, it can be difficult to fully seat the baluster on the connector. Further, when the baluster was driven onto the connector, at times it would shave off a thin piece of the plastic bosses, resulting in an unattractive splay of plastic shavings at the ends of the baluster.